Category: Legislation
American Rescue Plan funding saves thousands of SMART pensions
Thanks to multiemployer pension relief included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, approximately 1,600 SMART members in the Sheet Metal Workers Pension Fund based in Massillon, Ohio will have their pension cuts fully restored, including full earned benefit in their mont [...]
Support needed for Wyoming train-length bill effort
In a letter to members, Wyoming State Legislative Director April Ford asked members in her state to reach out to state legislators and urge them to support train-length legislation. The text of her message is below: “Legislators in Wyoming will be hearing a bill in the [...]
Action needed to support Congressional Workers Union
This is a call to action. The burning wreckage of what used to be the Grand Old Party (GOP) is attempting to attack the labor movement immediately after the holidays while our guard is down and as the transition to the new Congress occurs. SMART is asking you to take action a [...]
N.J. designates Oct. 15 as annual Railroad Workers Day
In a rare acknowledgment of the value railroaders bring to the table, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has named October 15 as “Railroad Workers Day”. Gov. Murphy went on the record saying, “Through extreme weather events and a global pandemic, our state’s railroad workers hav [...]House leaders introduce bill reauthorizing STB and to assist rail customers
A bill introduced by leaders in the U.S. House on Aug. 2 and endorsed by the SMART Transportation Division seeks to address complaints levied against the Class I rail carriers brought by customers and echoed by rail unions in hearings in the spring before the Surface Transpor [...]
New York two-person crew bill heads to governor for signing
The two-person crew bills introduced in New York state, Assembly Bill 1287B and Senate Bill 3953B, have passed both chambers of the state Legislature as of Tuesday, May 31. Both bills have been combined into Senate Bill 3953 and are now headed to the desk of Gov. Kathy Hochul [...]
Transportation bills limiting train length gain traction in Iowa
A pair of bills limiting train length have been introduced in the Iowa House and Senate and have gained some traction. House File 2339 and Senate File 2286 both contain language that would limit the length of any freight train to 8,500 feet. House File 278 (now renumbered as [...]